The IEEE International Conference on Big Data 2026 returns as the flagship global forum for data scientists, AI researchers and industry leaders shaping the future of large-scale analytics. Scheduled for this December in Phoenix, Arizona, the conference serves as a vital platform for exploring advancements in machine learning, database systems and enterprise data infrastructure. A key highlight of this year’s program is the 4th Workshop on Large Language and Foundation Models, co-organized and sponsored by the Lamarr Institute.

Shaping the Future of Scalable Data Science and AI Systems

Since its inception in 2013, the IEEE Big Data series has been a central venue for discussing the transformative impact of data across medicine, finance, science and society. The 2026 edition features high-quality peer-reviewed research alongside practical strategies for managing unprecedented data volumes. Attendees will access innovative contributions in data mining, trustworthy systems and hardware-efficient architectures, promoting collaboration between academic research and industrial application.

Highlighting Lamarr Expertise in Foundation Models and Hybrid ML

A major component of the conference is the co-located 4th Workshop on Large Language and Foundation Models (WLLFM 2026), sponsored by the Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Co-organized by Prof. Dr. Rafet Sifa, along with Dr. Tobias Deußer and Dr. Lorenz Sparrenberg from the Applied Machine Learning (AML) Lab at b-it. The workshop addresses the gap between theoretical advancements and real-world applications. The sessions will cover critical research areas, including retrieval-augmented generation, multi-agent systems, multimodal architectures, and trustworthy AI.
More information: https://bigdataieee.org/BigData2026/